Great Train Stations in North America: 3

Cincinnati Union Terminal

Cincinnati Ohio

In 1900 Cincinnati OH had a problem similar to many cities of that era, too many train stations, 5 of them in all. This meant that travelers on the 7 different railroads which served the town, who needed to change trains often had a cross-town dash. Further, the many grade crossings caused much congestion. Finally, all of the stations were within the Ohio River floodplain. And in those days the Ohio often flooded.

Finally in 1927 work was begun on a new facility located in the west end of Cincinnati. The architectural firm of Fellheimer & Wagner won the commission and began work on this structure shortly after completing Buffalo NY's Central Terminal. It was to be one of the "high water marks" of the Art Deco style of architecture.

It opened in 1933 two weeks early because once again, the Ohio River was on the rampage and threatening to inundate the old stations. But despite the undeniable beauty of the building, it has never lived up to its initial expectations. In addition to the overall decline in passenger rail traffic which began in the 1930's, the city fathers and the railroads soon realized they had located the new station too far from downtown.

Today, the basement of the building is still an Amtrak stop for its tri-weekly Cardinal which calls in the wee hours of the morning. The rest of the building has become a children's museum.

Thus, though the building is beautiful beyond words, it stands almost as a testament to the old saying "Beauty is skin deep." It may be beautiful, but through the years it has not met the needs of the traveling public.